A suspect wanted in connection with a shooting near a Brockton shopping plaza that left a man in critical condition earlier this month turned himself in to police on Friday, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Brockton resident Jake Malafronte, 23, has been charged with assault and battery with a firearm and four gun charges in connection with the June 2 shooting, the district attorney’s office said in a press release. He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment in Brockton District Court on Monday.
Officers responded to the area of 21 Torrey St. around 5:15 p.m. for a report of a person shot, a Brockton police spokesperson said previously. Emergency responders found the victim — a 33-year-old man — outside the Wingstop restaurant located at the plaza with a gunshot wound in his abdomen.
The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson did not respond to questions about what the victim’s condition is currently.
The shooting was caught on security footage, which showed that Malafronte and the victim got into a minor argument while the victim was on a phone call, the district attorney’s office said. Malafronte is accused of pursuing the victim and shooting him following a short verbal exchange.
Investigators identified Malafronte as the gunman in the shooting through an employee of a local nearby business, the district attorney’s office said. He told Brockton police during an interview that he was familiar with the shooter.
Malafronte was held without bail during his arraignment pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for June 12, the district attorney’s office said. No further information about the shooting has been released.
